TIM and Ericsson Demonstrate Speeds of 20 Gbps Using a mmWave 5G Connection

TIM (an Italian Network Operator) and Ericsson have achieved speeds of more than 20 Gbps in a live 5G demonstration held at the Polytechnic University of Turin in Italy. The demo was conducted using the 28 GHz millimeter wave band and resulted in a download speed of 23.4 Gbps, the fastest connection to date using this technology in an urban context. The demo also illustrated virtual reality in action – with an immersive visit of Piazza Carlo Alberto from the Polytechnic University.

The record set by TIM - in collaboration with Ericsson - spreads awareness of the potential of the 5G network and the use of the 28 GHz millimetre wave band. Moreover, for the first time in Italy a virtual visit service in real time has been achieved on an experimental 5G network system.

It was possible to visit Piazza Carlo Alberto from the Politecnico of Turin despite it being on the other side of the city. An avatar guide accompanied the visitor – equipped with a VR headset and sensors – in the historic venue, thereby testing the capacities of virtual reality. An immersive experience made possible by the top speed of the 5G network which makes interaction between the guide, the virtual environment and the visitor immediate. And this is just the beginning: before long tourists with a great interest in the history of the Savoia family will be able to enter the museums while comfortably seated on their sofa in New York or any other city of the world.

Turin, with its strength in scientific excellence at the Politecnico, is the Italian capital of 5G and one of the first cities in Europe to have a new generation mobile network. The record connection follows on from the Memorandum of Understanding signed last March between TIM and Turin’s municipal authority to implement the “Turin 5G” project, which aims to provide gradual coverage of the city with the new generation network by 2020.

With the partnership in Turin, TIM and Ericsson are strengthening a collaboration that started last year with the “5G for Italy” programme, which is giving rise to an open ecosystem in which to create innovative projects and services enabled by the fifth-generation network.

This scenario consolidates the historical collaboration between TIM and the Politecnico of Turin: during 2018 joint research activities will be carried out on 5G for the development of new generation applications.

With a transmission capacity 20 times greater than the current 4G one the 5G network will connect a very large number of objects and people to offer high quality, personalized and extremely engaging innovative services.

For “Turin 5G”, TIM is in fact developing applications dedicated to enhancing the cultural and artistic heritage as well as new solutions for the smart city, environmental monitoring, public safety, the vehicle industry, 4.0 industry, healthcare, education, mobility and road safety, logistics and smart agriculture.

The initiative confirms TIM’s commitment to bring about the digital transformation of the country, based on infrastructure and applications with a positive impact on all market sectors and on people's lifestyles, accompanying them into the future “Gigabit society” in which the company intends to play a leading role.